PREMIER’S DISCOVERY AWARDS GUIDELINES
Celebrating the research excellence of Ontario’s finest accomplished researchers
The Premier’s Discovery Awards celebrates the research excellence of Ontario’s most accomplished researchers. By showcasing individual achievements, it aims to enhance Ontario’s attractiveness as a global research centre.
The Discovery Award consists of five awards recognizing excellence in research for either a single discovery or a body of work on both domestic and international fronts.
- The $500,000 Life Sciences and Medicine award celebrates advances in the study of human health and/or biological/ecological systems.
- The $500,000 Natural Sciences and Engineering award celebrates achievements in the study of physical sciences and/or engineering processes.
- The $250,000 Social Sciences award celebrates achievements in the study of social interactions and/or social systems.
- The $250,000 Arts and Humanities award celebrates achievements in the study of arts and/or culture.
- The $250,000 Innovation Leadership award recognizes exceptional leadership in the transfer of knowledge and/or technology.
Eligible nominees
The Discovery Award is open on a competitive basis to researchers in Ontario who:
- are actively involved in conducting world-class research in Ontario at an eligible Ontario publicly funded research institution;
- have, at the nomination deadline, a full-time appointment at the full professor level (or equivalent) at an eligible Ontario publicly funded research institution; and
- are, at the nomination deadline, a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada.
The following institutions are eligible Ontario publicly funded research institutions:
- Ontario publicly-assisted universities;
- Ontario colleges of applied arts and technology;
- Ontario research hospitals; and
- Not-for-profit Ontario research institutes associated with an Ontario university or an Ontario hospital, excluding those funded primarily by business or industry.
Please note:
- A researcher can be nominated in only one category in a competition and may receive only one award from the program.
- Posthumous nominations will not be accepted.
- Individuals who have received a Premier’s Discovery Award or a Premier’s Platinum Medal for Research Excellence are not eligible to be nominated for, or receive, a Premier’s Discovery Award.
Eligible expenditures
Funds received through this grant can be spent on:
- graduate or undergraduate scholarships or research chairs;
- purchase or rental of research equipment and/or supplies;
- research and innovation expenses such as salaries of research associates, post-doctoral fellows and graduate students, travel to conferences, publications, intellectual property protection (including any activity related to the development of a patent, trademark or copyright, but excluding all dispute/litigation and legal costs associated with intellectual property), databases and library acquisitions; and
- support for research and innovation awareness initiatives or youth outreach programs.
Ineligible expenditures
Funds received through this grant cannot be spent on:
- salary, benefits or expenses for the person nominated for the award, or
- salaries or expenses for individuals performing contract research where the contractor owns the intellectual property.
- Note that additional funding for indirect costs will not be provided.
Nomination procedure
Eligible researchers may be nominated by the Vice-President of Research (or equivalent) of an Ontario publicly funded research institution or by any other faculty member at an Ontario publicly funded research institution, provided that the nomination is also signed by the Vice-President of Research (or equivalent) of the Ontario publicly funded research institution at which the award will be administered and the research conducted.
Submission instructions
Completing the form
- Download the Premier’s Discovery Awards Nomination Form.
- Complete all sections of the Nomination Form being sure to comply with the word limits indicated in the form.
- Ensure that the Vice-President of Research (or equivalent) of the Ontario publicly funded research institution at which the award will be administered and the research conducted signs the Nomination Form.
- Include a cover letter not exceeding one page signed by the nominator.
- Include three (3) letters of reference bearing the signature of the referee. The letters should be from internationally recognized leaders in the nominee’s field who are able to provide an objective assessment of the nominee’s contributions to the state of knowledge in the field, their international profile and a comparison of the nominee to the top researchers in their field.
- Include a curriculum vitae (CV) for the nominee that does not exceed 25 pages.
- Please do not include any additional materials with the nomination package such as drawings or pictures, sample publications and other documents.
Format
Format and print the nomination package as follows:
- Set the margins to at least one inch and single-space the text, with no more than six lines per inch.
- Use a black Arial 12 point font. (Do not use condensed type.)
- Print the nomination on 8 ½ by 11-inch white paper.
Submission to the Ministry
Please submit in one (1) nomination package by the nomination deadline:
- The signed Nomination Form, the CV, the three signed letters of reference and the signed nominator’s cover letter.
- Three (3) additional complete copies of the Nomination Form, CV, nominator’s cover letter and letters of reference on three-hole punched 8 ½ by 11-inch white paper.
- One (1) CD containing a copy of the entire nomination package. The Nomination Form must be in Microsoft Word format. The remaining documents can be in Microsoft Word format or Portable Document Format (PDF).
Where to send completed nominations
The package must be sent to:
Premier’s Discovery Awards
Ministry of Research and Innovation
Research Branch
7th Floor, 56 Wellesley Street West
Toronto, ON M7A 2E7
Nominations must be sent by courier, mail or hand delivered. Documents sent by email or fax directly to the Ministry will not be accepted.
Review process
The Discovery Awards program is a discretionary non-entitlement program and the Ministry reserves the right to not make any award in any given year. The Discovery Award nomination and review process includes the following steps:
- Nominations are received by the deadline.
- The Ministry conducts an administrative review of nominations.
- A review panel short-lists the nominations.
- Short-listed nominations are forwarded to international experts in the field for evaluation.
- The review panel makes recommendations to the Ontario Research Fund (ORF) Advisory Board.
- The ORF Advisory Board makes recommendations to the Minister who makes the final decisions.
Please note:
The Ministry reserves the right to choose reviewers and may select ones other than those suggested in the nomination.
Evaluation criteria
Awards will be made following a competitive process and will be judged on:
- the extent to which the research has advanced the state of knowledge in the field and the researcher’s international profile.
In addition, nominations will be judged on:
- for the Life Sciences and Medicine award only, the extent to which the research has led to economic or social benefits in Ontario, including improved human health and/or biological/ecological systems;
- for the Natural Sciences and Engineering award only, the extent to which the research has led to increased innovation and competitiveness in Ontario;
- for the Social Sciences award only, the extent to which the research has had social benefits and/or improved quality of life in Ontario;
- for the Arts and Humanities award only, the extent to which the research has fostered a better understanding, appreciation and/or promotion of arts and/or culture in Ontario; and,
- for the Innovation Leadership award only, the significance of the researcher’s leadership and impact on the transfer of knowledge and/or technology in Ontario.
Successful nominations
Within 30 days of being notified of an award, the successful nominee and the institution must submit a project plan and budget to the Ministry.
The Grant Agreement with the Ministry will be administered by the institution on behalf of the successful researcher. The grant agreement will address the terms and conditions for the award, which include (but are not limited to): project plan, budget, payments, auditing and project reports.
Nomination deadline
Nominations, including letters of reference, must be received by the Ministry by 5:00 p.m., Friday, November 7, 2008.
Contact us
If you have questions about the Discovery Awards, please contact:
Sean Keelor
Tel: 416-314-8213
Paula Psyllakis
Tel: 416-327-2838
E-mail: Awards@mri.gov.on.ca
Additional information
Please note that the Ministry of Research and Innovation is subject to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. Personal information in this form is collected under the authority of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade Act. This information may be shared with members of the Ontario Research Fund Advisory Board, the review panel, external reviewers and others for the purpose of administering the Premier’s Discovery Awards program.
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